USD Magazine, Fall 2002

Going Headless? Ancient Peruvian Trend Discovered Her work may seem macabre - digging up human remains for clues into an ancient lifestyle - bllt anthropology Professor Alana Cordy– Collins' latest discovery seems down– right eerie. Ir appears that d1e Moche civilization, which th rived along-the Peruvian coast berween 300 and 800 A.D., had a penchant for cutting off each other's heads. "We had seen evidence of decapi– tation in Moche art, and we had found severed heads," Cordy-Collins says, "but never had we found foren– sic evidence that answered the 'who dunnir?' question. "On a dig we found a decapitator - a member of me Moche from the thi rd century A.D. who had in his hand a tumi, a crescent-bladed knife. We had never before excavat– ed a tumi with a body befo re. The individual we found was an old man, arthritic with few remaining teeth, bur in life he had no doubt been a fierce individual." Cordy-Collins says the findin g helps shed new light on the civiliza– tion, noting char "identi fying mis ritual is an important step. To better understand d1e Moche, we need to better understand its function ."

Surveying San Diego's Hot Property Market San Diego's recent declaration of a "housing emergency," due to a severe shortage of affordable homes, is sure to be one of rhe issues examined by USD's Real Estate Institute, which added a noted expert in commercial real estate to its faculty chis fall , and is preparing to launch a master's degree in real esrare in Fall 2003. Elaine Worzala, a scholar in the field who for che past decade caught at Colorado Scare University, joined d1e inscitllte chis fall and will reach and direct student research projects. "Real estate involves so much more than just buying and selling property," Worzala says. "The gradu– ate program in real estate will focus on the many disciplines that are in volved with intelligent planning: marketing, accounting, law, archi– tecture, design. "We wane to educate people to rake on leadership roles in these areas and equip them to make sound, ethical decisions about land– use in our community," she says. To learn more about the USD Real Estate Institute, log on to http://realestate.sandi ego.edu . Former Law Dean Remembered Donald T. Wecksrein knew the importance of endurance. The former dean of USD's School of Law, who passed away July 22 at age 70, regularly competed in maramons and rriad1alons, and used his distance runner's mentali ty to uansform me school into one of d1e most presti– gious institutions on the West Coast. During his nine years at the helm - from 1972 to 198 1 - rhe number of full-rime faculty dou– bled. Wecksrein created legal clinics so students could get hands-on experience, and under his leadership the school established rhe Center for Public Interest Law, the Center for Labor Management and Employ– ment Law, rhe Center fo r Criminal Justice Policy and Management, and rhe Law and Economics Center. "This is no knock on rhe faculty who were here when Don arrived," says Professor Grant Morris,

Donald Weckstein expanded the faculty and added innovative programs. Wecksrein's longtime colleague, "bur d1ey were totally focused on reach– ing. He was rhe engine that encour– aged original scholarship as parr of every faculty member's workload. Ir rook a few years, bur me school's academic reputation now, compared to when he took over, is like night and day. He helped turn a very good law school into an elite one." Wecksrein earned his law degree from the University of Texas, and a master's degree in law from Yale University. He served in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Army and remained active in the Army Reserve rhroughour his life. After stepping down as dean, Wecksrein specialized in reaching labor law and alternative dispute resolution, and was one of San Diego's leading allthoriries on legal ethics before a series of strokes linlired his reaching schedule. Morris adds one need not look very hard to see Wecksrein's legacy at the school. "It was his vision and his abili ty to raise money char helped make the Legal Research Center possible," he says. "The small law library on the rhird Aoor ofWarren Hall that held 60,000 books gave way to a modern facility with half a million books, and the space on the third Aoo r became rhe Grace Courtroom. Don's fin gerprints are all over that expansion ." Weckscein is survived by his wife, Linda, and three daughters, Elizabeth, Alyson, and Julie.

Anthropology Professor Alana Cordy-Collins digs the bizarre - her latest find reveals the decapitation rituals of an ancient tribe.